DECEMBER 30, 2025 – The Virtual Flag: Coalition exercise, hosted annually by the 705th Combat Training Squadron, also known as the Distributed Mission Operations Center, at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, serves as a cornerstone of U.S. and allied forces’ readiness, interoperability, and mission command capabilities. This high-stakes, multinational exercise integrates air, space, and cyber assets from multiple partner nations to simulate real-world combat scenarios, test tactics, techniques, and procedures, and strengthen global warfighting efforts.
Exercise Virtual Flag: Coalition is the U.S. Air Force’s premier distributed battle management exercise, providing combat-representative, joint, and coalition synthetic training across all domains in support of the warfighter. VFC 26-1 integrated U.S. forces (U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, Utah Army National Guard, and U.S. Marines) with international partners (Royal Air Force, U.K. Space Command, Royal Australian Air Force, Australian Army, Royal Canadian Air Force, and Royal Canadian Navy) against a top pacing challenge in a high-end fight across warfighting domains, in an Indo-Pacific large-scale theater and spectrum of conflict. The exercise showcased the increasing importance of multinational cooperation in modern warfare, emphasizing both the challenges and opportunities of coalition operations.
“The U.S. Air Force has embraced mission command concepts like agile combat employment and decentralized execution because we have learned from experience that centralized C2 won’t work against a peer adversary,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. David Jones, 705th CTS/DMOC commander. “VFC offers a great training opportunity to refine operational concepts and tactics with Air Force, joint, and coalition partners so we’re ready to fight together if deterrence fails.”
Coalition and U.S. forces operated within the DMOC’s simultaneously live, virtual, and constructive environment, training against peer adversaries to improve integrated combat effectiveness from simulators or C2 nodes across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the U.K. Constructive scenarios introduced computer-generated threats, forces, and environmental factors, enhancing the exercise with complex, dynamic challenges that simulate real-world combat conditions at an unprecedented scale in the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility.
Role of Coalition Partnerships
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Abdullateef, 705th CTS/DMOC director of operations, underscored the importance of coalition partnerships. “The core of VFC is about learning how to fight and win as a coalition. This exercise provides a controlled environment to experiment, identify each other’s strengths, and improve our ability to operate together seamlessly under pressure. Such training is crucial as adversaries force us to work as a unified team across nations and domains,” he said.
The exercise focused on refining the integration of diverse national and service-specific operating procedures. A key component of VFC 26-1 was testing the limits of distributed C2 systems in a simulated contested environment. These complex scenarios required forces from different nations to collaborate and make quick decisions, often without the benefit of full communications or coordinated intelligence.
“The Canadian Armed Forces’ participation in VFC provided a strategically valuable opportunity to strengthen our ability to operate as an integrated, multi-domain partner within a coalition environment,” RCAF Capt. Brian Boyce, RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre, White Force Air-to-Air Refueling operator, 8 Wing. “By training alongside our allies in the high-tempo synthetic battlespace that VFC provides, I witnessed CAF [Combat Air Force] personnel improve C2 processes, further interoperability across air, land, maritime, space and cyber domains, and rehearse decision-making in complex, contested scenarios that mirror emerging operational challenges.”
Boyce continued, “The exercise enhances the CAF’s capacity to share best practises regarding mission planning, information-sharing, targeting coordination, and synchronized effects across all domains. VFC meaningfully advances the CAF’s readiness and is always a pleasure to be a part of.”
U.S. Air Force Maj. Rikki Antaramian-Feightner, VFC 26-1 exercise director, highlighted the operational challenges that come with multinational operations: “Each nation brings a unique set of tools, protocols, and decision-making processes to the table. We saw firsthand how effective we can be when these diverse systems integrate seamlessly. But it takes practice. Exercises like VFC are crucial, allowing us to refine communication and interoperability in ways that live combat cannot. Even with obstacles, such as limited communications or asymmetric tactics, we were able to maintain coordination and execute operations effectively,” she said.
Approximately 310 coalition and joint warfighters accomplished 7,000 joint training tasks for 31 units using seven networks and 27 different systems connected at 16 distributed sites worldwide through the DMOC’s information system networks.
Incorporating Nuclear Capabilities into Multinational Operations
A significant addition to VFC 26-1 was the integration of the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, which played a critical role in strengthening the exercise’s strategic relevance. Although primarily focused on the U.S. Air Force’s nuclear mission, AFNWC’s participation provided essential perspectives on integrating strategic assets into joint and coalition operations. This addition helped create realistic scenarios that required complex decision-making at multiple levels of command, especially in situations where nuclear deterrence and response were simulated.
“The AFNWC’s participation was a game-changer in Virtual Flag: Coalition. Not only did we test our interoperability with allied nations in conventional combat scenarios, but we also simulated higher-level decision-making that involved strategic assets,” said Abdullateef. “AFNWC’s integration emphasized how all military components, tactical, operational, and strategic, must align and work together.”
Marine Corps Cross-Domain Integration, C2 Focus
The inclusion of U.S. Marine Corps personnel in VFC 26-1 added an extra dimension of realism by emphasizing cross-domain integration. The Marines brought valuable insights into integrating ground forces with air and space operations.
“Integrating Marine Corps capabilities into a primarily air-based exercise pushed us to think about mission command in a more integrated way. It’s not just about coordinating air assets; it’s about understanding how every unit, ground, air, and space, can contribute to the success of the mission,” noted Antaramian-Feightner. “The Marines’ experience in decentralized execution and ground combat operations played a crucial role in highlighting the joint and combined nature of modern warfare, highlighting the importance of cross-domain interoperability.”
Strategic Value of VFC for Future Operations
The strategic value of exercises like VFC 26-1 extends far beyond the immediate training environment. These exercises offer critical insights into the readiness and capabilities of multinational forces, helping to forge stronger alliances and prepare forces for real-world operational environments.
U.S. Air Force Col. Terry Hjerpe, 505th Combat Training Group commander, reflected on the long-term value of such coalition exercises: “Virtual Flag: Coalition is more than just an exercise; it is a critical part of our strategy to ensure that the U.S. and our allies are ready to face any challenge. This exercise demonstrates the value of learning to operate in a coalition environment where we rely on each other’s strengths, understand each other’s processes, and create a shared understanding of how we execute operations. The training we get here, across services, countries, and domains, prepares us for real-world challenges where victory depends on our ability to operate seamlessly together.”
Hjerpe continued, “The partnership and interoperability developed here are vital to our long-term strategic goals. Exercises like Virtual Flag: Coalition play a key role in shaping the future of our military’s operational capabilities by reinforcing the importance of multinational coordination, learning from each other, and staying ahead of evolving threats.”
VFC Distinguished Visitor Day: Strengthening Partnerships and Readiness
DV Day, hosted by the DMOC, is a crucial event to showcase the cutting-edge, integrated, multi-domain combat training to senior leaders and partners from the U.S. and allied nations, demonstrating how forces train together against peer adversaries, strengthening coalition interoperability, and building shared understanding of complex, modern warfare scenarios.
RCAF General Air and Space Readiness director, Canadian Army Command and Staff College leadership, the Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff-Strategic Joint Staff, the U.K. 11 Group Air Officer commander, Air Combat Command A3 staff, the AFNWC Nuclear Technology and Integration Directorate director, and U.S. Air Force Col. Justin Secrest, 377th Air Base Wing commander, and U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Andrew Rapsavage, 377th ABW command chief, attended VFC 26-1 DV Day.
RCAF BGen Leighton LLJ James, RCAF General Air and Space Readiness director, said after attending VFC 26-1 DV day, “This Virtual Flag: Coalition is the context for where we need to go with readiness in the Canadian Air Force. It offers a valuable opportunity to identify efficiencies and strengthen our integration with the DMOC and other coalition partners.”
“During DV Day, we discussed incorporating AI into future exercises. One of our sister squadrons is experimenting with AI/HMT [artificial intelligence/human-machine teaming] tools that will aid C2 decision-making at the tactical and operational levels,” said Jones. “My goal is to build on their progress and incorporate these tools into an operational environment, further developing the use case and creating operational TTPs to optimize our success in contested environments.”
VFC: A Cornerstone of Multinational Readiness
“Virtual Flag: Coalition 26-1 reinforced the growing importance of multinational training in modern warfare,” said Jones. “By incorporating strategic assets like the AFNWC and expanding the role of joint forces such as the Marine Corps, VFC 26-1 exemplified the complexity and necessity of coalition operations in the future of military engagements.”
Looking ahead, VFC will continue to serve as a critical training venue, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and refining multinational teams’ preparedness to ensure the U.S. and its allies and partners are ready for the challenges of tomorrow.
“As warfare evolves, we must continue refining our multinational operations. The lessons from VFC are shaping the future of combat,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Ryan Hayde, 505th Command and Control Wing commander. “Our success in contested environments depends on our ability to adapt and to work together as a unified team. As global partnerships and technologies progress and are integrated, VFC will remain a cornerstone of operational readiness for the U.S. and our allies.”
Deb Henley
505th Command and Control Wing
Public Affairs